Student safety: 24% face physical aggression, distance learning as last resort
24% of Latvian students have experienced physical aggression, 37% emotional violence. Many children do not report incidents, and changing schools is often the only way to regain safety.
Data from the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reveals a troubling picture: 24% of Latvian students have faced physical aggression, and 37% have experienced emotional violence. Even more concerning is that 30% of children would not tell anyone about such incidents because they do not believe adults can help, while 13% would stay silent out of shame. These figures show that school is not always a safe place for every child.
The Minister of Education and Science has previously stated that transferring a child to another school does not solve bullying—it merely moves the problem elsewhere. However, in practice, changing schools is often the only way for a child to feel safe again. After long and unsuccessful attempts to resolve the situation at their previous school—conversations with homeroom teachers, administration, and psychologists—many families turn to distance learning as a last resort.
Distance learning reduces daily physical contact with bullies, giving children a chance to regain emotional security. Experience shows that some students rediscover their motivation to learn after switching to distance learning and later successfully return to in-person schooling. However, a safe environment in distance education does not emerge on its own—it requires ongoing cooperation among teachers, homeroom teachers, social pedagogues, and parents.
Society still lacks a clear understanding of what bullying truly is. It is often confused with ordinary conflict, but bullying involves intentional, repeated, and long-term aggression. To choose the right solutions, we must first make the correct "diagnosis." Many schools have dedicated educators who genuinely try to help, but often there is a shortage of human resources and time to delve into every situation. Bullying cannot be resolved in a single conversation—it is a process that requires the involvement of the school, parents, specialists, and sometimes the local municipality.
Changing schools should not be seen as a failure. It can be an opportunity for a child to regain what matters most—a sense of safety, self-esteem, and a desire to learn. No grade, exam, or school ranking is more important than a child's emotional well-being.
